Let it Burn, Burn, Burn!
by Genie101
Summary: What did cause that church fire? It sure wasn’t a ciggerate. Little Alice likes fire and she doesn’t think it’s a bad thing. Not even with church being a blaze around her. The only thing she hates, is when her materpiece gets put out by fire engines. (Completed story)


Alice Kingsley sighed softly looking at the match book in her hands. Her mama never let her play with fire at home, not since what happened last time. So she burned down the garage while her daddy and little brother were inside. It wasn't that big of deal to her. She just like how warm and pretty fire looks. She quickly hid the match book in her coat pocket, knowing if the teacher caught her with it, she'd get in a lot of trouble.

"Everything Alright Miss Kingsley?" Mrs. Smith asked her gently. Alice smiled some nodding her head softly. She rushed to catch up with her class that was a few paces ahead of her. For a class trip, They were walking the countryside here to see the scenery and that old abandoned church hardly anyone knew about.

Alice eyed the church some as they walked past it. She looked ahead seeing her class was all the way on the other side of the hill, setting up a picnic area for lunch. She smiled some turning her back to them and fished out her match book. She rushed inside the church with little to no effort at all. What she didn't know was a few of her fellow classmates followed her.

"We're telling Mrs. smith!" The children taunted her making Alice huff angrily.

"No you're not!" Alice said angrily to them making them all snicker and laugh at the girl. Alice giggled delightedly as she struck the match it burned beautifully, and when it hit her fingertips she dropped it on the floor. The dust around her caught fire and it was creeping along the wood be. She was scared though, no she seemed to be rather delighted at the fire. The other children looked horrified and few of them started to cry.

Alice snorted some looking around at her masterpiece. The fire looked so warm and welcoming.

"Where is Miss Kingsley, Mr.Stone , Miss. Abby and Mr. Stine?" Mrs. Smith asked her class looking around at all of the children. The students looked to one another , whispering some and then shrugged their shoulders unsure of where they had ran off to.

Mrs. Smith had the look of absolute dread as she snapped her head over to the church. She rushed towards it unaware of what was going on inside. Mrs. Smith's face dropped some looking towards the church that was now starting to smolder. She rushed towards the fire trying to see if maybe she could get inside, with no luck at all. She could hear three of the children sobbing and she dreaded the one that wasn't sobbing passed out.

In a panic she rushed back to the other children. "All of you back to the bus. Now!" She ordered them ushering them all back to the bus for their own safety and then rushed to get help for her students trapped inside the blaze.

"Geez you guys see that." Ponyboy said looking over at the direction of the church.

"It's the dam church. One of you forget to stop out your cigarette or something." Dallas snapped glaring to Ponyboy. The kid did forget to from time to time.

"Don't give me that look. The last one I had was this morning and I stomped it out. Ask Johnny here Alright." Pony said rolling his eyes some as Dallas pulled up a little ways from the church.

Officers arrived as did a paramedic. The fire engine was still on its way to the area and the church fire only seemed to be getting worse. "Are there any children inside?" The Officer asked Mrs. smith who broke down nodding her head.

"Why isn't the fire engine here yet. Those kids will die in there." Mrs. Smith said sadly looking the blaze. No one was making any effort to try and help those kids at least not yet anyways.

Ponyboy looked at his friends who seemed more than content to watch the fire some more. "Just where are you going?" Dallas asked Ponyboy as he hopped out of the car.

"There are kids in their Dallas? You expect me to let them just burn. I'm not you." Pony said honestly.

Dallas slapped his forehead some as Ponyboy rushed inside the blaze , followed by Johnny to try and help the responders to the scene. He rushed after the duo to help them. Ponyboy got the two boys out and Johnny the two girls aside for Alice. Dallas grabbed the girl up and she bit at his arm to get him to let her go. Which he didn't. He got her out the window to safety making her huff at him. There was a sudden blood curdling scream from inside the church and Alice wasn't sure as to why.

She looked over seeing the fire engine was dousing the church in water, destroying her beautiful masterpiece. She pouted some with her arms folded over. Miss smith grabbed her arm hard yanking the child away. "Miss Kingsley do I need to calm you're mama again?" Miss smith asked her getting a head shake no.

"Good now then. I want you to apologize to those boys there. You shouldn't have done that. You coulda killed one of them. Then where would you be?"

"So. It's not the first fire that killed anyone, caused by me." Alice said a bit too coldly for a mere seven year old girl. Miss Smith looked down right horrified as she smiled some and skipped off to the bus as though nothing happened. The ambulance took off with Ponyboy and Johnny inside of it. Miss smith walked back to the bus and made sure to sit beside Alice.

"Miss Kingsley. You are going to apologize to those boys. I mean it. At the end of this week you are to go to their home and apologize. You understand." Mrs. Smith said seriously. Alice sighed some, rolling her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest in a pout.

"Fine."

Miss smith smiled at that leaving Alice to look out the window. She failed to see why they had to put out the fire. It was really pretty, and the way it crackled some made her smile inside. Yet it seemed everyone else hated fire and were always doing things to put it out.

The bus arrived at each of the children's stops the last to be Alice's. Miss smith got off the bus with her, knowing she'd have to talk to her mother about what had happened. The duo both knew Alice needed to be in a hospital, but no one would put up with the child for long. They didn't think someone with an infatuation with fire was much harm to anyone.

Alice rushed inside up to her room while her mother looked to miss smith worriedly. "It happened again Shelly. She got ahold of a match book. It's the ninth time this month." Miss smith said worriedly.

"She didn't….you know."

"She did. Set the old abandoned church on fire. Three students were inside with her. They would have burned alive had those three young gentleman not been there to help. I told her she needs to apologize to them." Miss smith said swallowing the lump in her throat.

"Oh not again. I've done my best to keep those dam things from her, yet she always gets ahold of them. I'm so sorry about all of this. You just get me the names of those boys, and I'll be sure she apologizes to them first hand." Miss Kingsley said seriously.

"Should be in the paper tomorrow. Fires are a big deal around here. Well then. Good evening Miss Kingsley. I pray your daughter gets the help she needs."

"As do I. Good night."

Miss Kingsley ribbed at her temple walking upstairs. Her daughter sat on her bed playing with her China doll smiling, like a normal little girl would. "Alice honey, what did mama tell you about playing with fire?"

"That people can get hurt, but they were gonna tell. I didn't wanna be taken from you again mama." Alice said pouting her lip some. Her mother sighed heavily pulling Alice up onto her lap.

"Baby girl, fire isn't something to mess around with. What would mama have done if you didn't make it out in time? Hmm?"

"Been really sad?" Alice asked softly looking up at her briefly before going back to playing with her China doll.

"Yes I would be. I'd be crying right now. Now then as soon as we get the names of those boys, we are going to apologize to them formally. Understand me." Miss Kingsley said firmly.

"No! Lizzie doll!" Alice complained reaching for the china doll her mother yanked from her.

"No Alice . I told you what. The next time you took the matches down, you'd get Lizzie taken away from you for a month. You need to learn to not play with fire. You're gonna hurt yourself and I won't know what to do." Miss Kingsley told her daughter sadly. Alice pouted some crying as her mother calmly shut her door locking , before she headed to her own room to hide Lizzie doll.

"Mama! Why's the door locked! Can't I come out. I wasn't that bad was I?" Alice asked heartbrokenly kicking at the doorway. Miss Kingsley held back a sob shutting her own doorway. She hated locking her in her own room, but she often didn't have any choice at all.

After a few hours Alice quieted down and seemed to be fast asleep when Miss Kingsley opened her door to check on her. She smiled softly helping Alice up onto her bed , then shut the door and locked it once more behind her. She walked back to her own room to get some sleeping, hoping to put this whole mess behind her in the morning.

It was close to nine in the morning when Miss Kingsley woke up and unlocked Alice's bedroom door. The child laid fast asleep on her , looking as innocent as the day she was born. Even as a baby she had an odd fascination with fire. Miss Kingsley waked to her backdoor grabbing the morning paper. There on the front page, was the fire from last night. In big bold letters were the names, Jonathan Cade, Ponyboy Curtis and Dallas Winston. Greaser boys from Tulsa ,Oklahoma hailed heroes. Tulsa was a few day drive from here. Maybe that's what the duo needed. To take a road trip and get away from the countryside for a tiny bit.

"Alice honey come on. You need to get packing."

"Why mama, am I being sent off again. You promised you wouldn't." Alice said worriedly rubbing at her sleepy eyes.

"No baby. I found out where those younger gentleman are. They are in Tulsa and we are going there so you will apologize to them."

"But mama."

"But mama nothing. Now get to packing before I do it for you." Miss Kingsley said Seriously making sure her daughter got to work.

"Will I get Lizzie doll after this mama?" Alice asked softly zipping her bag up.

"We will see understand. Now come on then. We can get some food on the road. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get home." Miss Kingsley said firmly to her daughter. Alice sighed softly placing her shoes on , grabbing on her coat, yanked her bag over her back and followed her mother out to the car. Miss Kingsley buckled Alice inside the car checking her pockets and grabbing the match box from her. Alice snorted some as her mother threw them away and then rushed back inside, to get her own bags together. Once done she walked back outside loading them into the trunk.

It took them a few days, they are at queens along the way, and had a few snacks at the gas stations. They stayed at two hotel along the way, to clean up and then some. Before the two knew it, they were in Tulsa and now all they had to do was find out where Ponyboy Curtis lived. She pulled into a gas station called the dx, to let Alice grab a snack. "Well aren't you a little doll." One of the mechanics said smiling at Alice. She smiled shyly back rushing over to her mother's side. She handed her a bag of chips that she paid for easily. As the duo left she overheard the other mechanic talking.

"How's the kid doing?"

"Ponyboy is doing better. Not much though. Not with what happened with Johnny. He's a dam wreck that he's in the hospital."

Miss Kingsley looked to her daughter who sighed heavily and walked back over to the mechanic who had called her a doll. She tugged at his sleeve and he looked down at her getting on his knees so he was eye level with her. "You need something little doll?"

"To apologize."

"For what?"

"The church fire. I was the one that caused it." Alice said looking down figuring the guy before her would be livid. But no he was more confused than anything. He looked to her mother who sighed walking over to her daughter.

"Go back to the car sweetie okay. I'll be right out."

"Okay mama." Alice said softly rushing outside.

"This some type of sick twisted Joke?"

"No it's not. I can't apologize enough about Alice, she...she likes fire and no one it seems can help her. I do be best to keep matched from , but she always gets ahold of them."

"Oh miss…"

"Kingsley."

"Right Miss Kingsley, I'm about to clock out, why don't you and your daughter join us for dinner. Maybe meeting of the kids my little bringer saved, will cheer him up some."

"We'd be Delighted. I can give you a lift to your place. Just give me the directions." Miss Kingsley said softly to him.

"What's your name?" Alice asked the guy sitting in the back beside her.

"Sodapop curtis."

"Oh okay. I'm Alice. Alice Kingsley." Alice said tugging at her dress hem.

She then looked at him confused. "Something wrong?"

"You're not mad. Why aren't you mad at me, most folks get mad at me when I play with fire."

"Nah..I'm just a little confused as to why. Why would such a little girl play with something so dangerous. You could really end up hurting someone. Really bad. You do understand this right." Soda said firmly malign Alice nod her head. He pointed to the left making Miss kingsley take a sharp left.

"Why do you like fire for? It's dangerous."

"No. It's pretty. I like the oranges and yellows and reds. It also sounds nice too." Alice said making Soda look at her smiling softly.

"Like the sun." Soda said hitting the nail on the coffin.

"Yeah. Exactly. Just like the sun. It's the only way I can have a piece of the sun with me." Alice said softly rubbing her arms some. Her eyes fixated on the home before them.

"Ah who's…" Darry got out as Ponyboy looked over.

"Oh hey again." Ponyboy said to Alice who shyly waved her hand.

Miss Kingsley cleared her throat at her daughter who sighed softly walking over to Ponyboy. "Hmm?" Pony asked softly as Alice.

"I'm sorry."

"For what? You didn't do anything wrong."

"Yeah I did. I caused the fire at the church."

"You what." Pony said looking at the child before him.

"Set the church fire." Alice said softly looking down and rubbing at her arms heavily. Ponyboy didn't know how to react, he was both furious and upset. She was barely even seven, yet she had set a fire on her own.

He looked to her mother who motioned her back over. She pointed to the door and Alice understood walking to sit on the porch.

"I'm so sorry. She. She likes fire. I can't keep the matches from her, she always get ahold of them. No one will help her."

"Our friend could be dying." Ponyboy said seriously making Miss Kingsley sigh heavily.

"She killed her daddy and little brother when she was three. She set the garage on fire and I still don't know why she did It. But she did and I've had to live with the fact my own daughter is a killer and she doesn't care who she killed. She doesn't understand why everyone hates fire. She doesn't." Miss Kingsley said honestly making Ponyboy soften his looks.

"Does it remind her of something?"

"The sun. She said it was the only way, she could have a piece of the sun." Soda said simply.

Ponyboy nodded softly seeming to understand a bit. Miss Kingsley let Alice back inside watching her sit on the floor beside the couch staring at the tv. She was a normal little girl at times. Times where she wasn't playing with fire like she wasn't supposed to.

Dinner was served and Miss Kingsley found her daughter was giggling and smiling a lot more here than she did back home.

"Do we gotta go mama?" Alice asked her mother sadly.

"Yeah baby we do. We gotta home to get back to and you have school tomorrow." Miss Kingsley said seriously.

"Okay…"

"Don't worry we will talk with old Dallas and Johnny." Ponyboy said knowing all too well how his older friend would react. He'd want to ring the little girl's neck. Alice waved bye to everyone rushing outside to meet up with her mother outside. The duo drove back home in silence not sure of what tomorrow would bring them.


End file.
